Local Hero Coffee Break
In this podcast, Michael Mazur brings you the stories of local heroes who are innovating and working to create social and economic prosperity in communities all over the world. These interviews aim to give listeners a digestible dose of information about how other local leaders are responding to key challenges. The format is designed to showcase the amazing work of local government officials and industry leaders and to learn about their perspectives and plans. This podcast was created to provide inspiration for those who want to take action in their communities. In the podcast we talk about key topics including smart cities, bridging the digital divide, innovation, data, AI, blockchain, economic development, civic engagement, entrepreneurship within local communities, and much more!
- Update frequency
- every 10 days
- Average duration
- 23 minutes
- Episodes
- 17
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2023
Episode 17: 17. Scott Beyer, Market Urbanism Report | Exploring the Cities of the Future: A once in a lifetime journey across the globe
Scott Beyer is a journalist specializing in urban issues. He is the owner of a media company called the Market Urbanism Report, which promotes free-market urban policies. In addition to his work for …
00:37:58 |
Fri 13 Jan 2023
Episode 16: Ep 16. Zach Caceres, Smart Cities - What is a 'Startup City' and why is it important?
In this week's episode, Michael is joined by Zach, an accomplished software engineer and technology leader, who has specialized in working with early-stage companies. He is the founder of the concept…
00:29:32 |
Wed 28 Dec 2022
Episode 15: 15. New York City, Denise Felipe Adams & Jonathan Salomons | How New York City wants to get to "YES"
In this episode, we interview Denise Felipe Adams and Jonathan Salomons from the Innovation and Emerging Market team in the Office of the Mayor of New York City.The Innovation and Emerging Market tea…
00:39:16 |
Thu 22 Dec 2022
Episode 14: 14. Jeffrey Mason & Carl Peterson | What are Charter Cities and why they are important
Jeffrey Mason and Carl Peterson discuss their extensive experience in development economics, law, international relations, and business. Before joining the Charter Cities Institute as a researcher, …
00:31:30 |
Thu 15 Dec 2022
Episode 13: 13. David Zipper, Harvard Fellow | The problem with autonomous vehicles & getting cars off our streets
David Zipper is a Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Taubman Center for State and Local Government, where he examines the interplay between urban policy and new mobility technologies. Da…
00:25:45 |
Thu 01 Dec 2022
Episode 12: 12. Ayinde Simon, Pathway OZ | Connecting HBCU talent with the public sector
Ayinde (pronounced eye-yin-day). Ayinde is the co-founder and General Partner of Pathway OZ, which is an Opportunity Zone Fund that partners with HBCUs, community leaders, and government officials to…
00:28:34 |
Thu 17 Nov 2022
Episode 11: 11. City of Philadelphia, Mark Wheeler | A journey from Web2 to Web3
Mark Wheeler is the Chief Information Officer in the City of Philadelphia. Some of Mark's recent accomplishments are: Ensured continuity of government services during the pandemic guiding business le…
00:29:44 |
Fri 04 Nov 2022
Episode 10: 10. City of Carlsbad, David Graham | Technology is a completely different game than infrastructure
David Graham, Chief Innovation Officer, City of Carlsbad, Ca, is a veteran smart cities leader having worked for several San Diego Mayors, the County of San Diego and a stint in private sector public…
00:26:56 |
Fri 28 Oct 2022
Episode 9: 9. City of Coral Gables, FL, Raimundo Rodulfo | Never Outsource Thinking
Raimundo is the Director of Innovation of Technology and Chief Innovation Officer at the City of Coral Gables, Florida. He is an award-winning engineering and technology visionary leader with over 28…
00:28:57 |
Fri 21 Oct 2022
Episode 8: 8. California Office of the Small Business Advocate, Clair Whitmer | From Silicon Valley to the public sector
Clair Whitmer works at the California Office of the Small Business Advocate, part of Go-Biz in the State of California. She is the North California Regional Economic Advisor. Clair is an Economic dev…
00:02:57 |
Tue 11 Oct 2022
Episode 7: 7. City of Akron, Julie Pryseski Beckert | How an entrepreneurial spirit led Julie to host one of the top Pride events in the Midwest
Julie spent many years as an entrepreneur before joining the City of Akron. Since 2015, Julie Pryseski has worked for the Office of Economic Development for the City of Akron. Julie’s focus is on al…
00:17:33 |
Wed 28 Sep 2022
Episode 6: 6. City of Peachtree Corners, GA, Brandon Branham | Leading a city from its incorporation to 5G and autonomous vehicle innovation
In our discussion, Brandon mentioned to me that from his perspective: "our main goal is always to say yes." This mindset has helped Brandon lead the City of Peachtree Corners to the global scale of …
00:24:57 |
Tue 06 Sep 2022
Episode 5: 5. City of Aurora, IL, Michael Pegues | How executing fast helped grow citizen participation in council meetings from 50 to 4000+
William Blake's quote that “Execution is the chariot of genius” is one of Michael Peuges' favorites -- this mindset has enabled Michael to lead Aurora to be one of the most innovative cities in the U…
00:21:07 |
Tue 30 Aug 2022
Episode 4: 4. Saline County, Phillip Smith-Hanes | The first step towards creating equity is getting data
Steve Jobs' quote "You can't connect the dots looking forward", is one of Phil Smith-Hanes's favorites and one of the mottos he's operated by in his 25+ years working in local government. Phil has be…
00:16:59 |
Tue 23 Aug 2022
Episode 3: 3. City of Monterey Park, Joe Torres | From flying planes to running a city
Before working in local government, Joseph Torres had a thriving career in the private sector as a pilot, as well as working in Corporate Sales in American Airlines for close to 16 years. Joseph real…
00:12:22 |
Mon 15 Aug 2022
Episode 2: 2. City of Rancho Cordova, Micah Runner | Running a city with an entrepreneurial spirit
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”- is Micah Runner's favorite quote, and in this episode, you get to understand why Gandhi's words resonate with him.Micah is currently the Deputy City Ma…
00:11:31 |
Fri 29 Jul 2022
Episode 1: 1. Why a podcast on Local Heroes?
Our First Episode!We introduce the co-hosts of the Local Hero Coffee Break podcast, Amada Reyes and Michael Mazur, and talk more about why we're doing this and our story. The goals of the podcast are…
00:05:43 |
Thu 28 Jul 2022
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